Alternating refrigeration bottled drink cooler



L. S. POPE Get. 20, 1931.

ALTERNATING REFRIGERATION BOTTLED DRINK COOLER Filed Oct. 6, 1928 3Sheets-Sheet l NVEN TOR.

BY L 55 .5 POPE- jwg QW ATTORNEY.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 R N m J IN VEN TOR..

LEE 5. POPE- Oct. 20,1931. L. s. POPE ALTERNATING REFRIGERATION BOTTLEDDRINK COOLER Filed Oct. 6, 1928 1.. s. POPE 1 Filed Oct. 6, 1928 3Sheets-Sheet 3 l lilul illl llll. ylll I E nuEi-EQEHEIEI INVENTOR. 1 EE'6- POPE ATTORNEY.

Oct. 20, 1931.

ALTERNATING REFRIGERATION BOTTLED, DRINK COOLER Patented Oct. 20, 1931UNITED STATES PATENT oFFrcB LEEs. row, or GREENSBORO, non'rn omomim vALTERNATING REFRIGERATION BOTTLED DRINK COOLER Application filed October6, 1928. Serial No. 310,781.

This invention relates to refrigerators, and more particularly todevices of this character that are especially adapted to be used for thepurpose of chilling bottled goods such as soft drinks. I

The invention has for one ofits objects to provide a device of thecharacter stated whlch shall be adapted toeflect the rapid chilling.

shall embody tanks surrounded by a refrig-J erating brine and a motoroperated refrigerating unit having an expansion coil arranged in thebrine. v

A further obj ect of the invention isto pro-' vide a device of thecharacter stated wherein I the tanks shall be provided with compartmentsadapted for dry chilling and theremainder for wet chilling, whereby topermit the chilling-of goods of that kind not adapted for immersion andthat kind adapted for immersion.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of thecharacter stated which shall embody means through the medium of whichone of the tanks may be flooded with water, whereby to adapt one tankfor dry chilling and the other for wet chilling.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of thecharacter stated which shall embody means through the medium of whichone tank may be flooded with water and the water, after being chilledand chilling the bottled goods immersed therein, withdrawn from the tankand forced into the other tank, whereby to permit the rapid' chilling ofthe bottled goods in a manner to permit them to be withdrawn from thedevice in a dry state w A still further object of the invention is toprovide a device of the character stated which shall be simple, durableand capableof being manufactured and sold and operated at a low cost.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the nature of which'willappear as the description proceeds, the invention consists 56 in theconstruction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fullydescribed and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings,wherein:

Figure 1 is a view partly in top plan and 60 partly in horizontalsection of a refrigerator constructed in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the vertical planes indicated bythe line 2-2 of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on thevertical planes indicated by the line 3+3 of Figure 1; I v

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the refrigerator v Figure 5 is asectional view taken on the vertical plane indicated by the line 55 ofFigure 2; Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on thev vertical planeindicated by the line 6-6 of Figure 2, and c Figure 7 is sectional viewtaken on the horizontal plane indicated by the line 77 of Figure a I Therefrigerator comprises a box or body 1' which may be square or oblong inplan and of any desired or required size. The box 1 which may be madefrom wood or metal or any other suitable material, embodies bottom,side, end and top walls, and is supported by feet 2. The box 1,isprovided on the interior thereof with a thick layer 3 of cork board toinsulate the interior from. the surrounding atmosphere, and it isprovided with a metal lining 4 to adapt it for the reception of arefrigerating brine.

Tanks 5 having a plan contour similar to that of the box and made frommetal are 7 arranged within the box and rest upon the bottom wallthereof. The tanks 5 are fully open at their upper sides, and'theirupper 5 portions are arranged in openings 6 formed in the top wall ofthe box 1. The upper ortions of the sides and ends of the tan s 5contact with the walls of the openings 6 to closing of the box 1 aboutthe opensary to describe or illustrate the other parts of the unit.

The tanks 5 are separated into compartments by metal partitions whichextend rom the bottom to the top and from one side to the other of thetanks. One or more of'the com partments of each tank are dry and theremainder are wet, the dry compartments being designated 8 and the wetcompartments 9. The partitions 10 which provide the dry comartments 8are imperforate. The remainmg partitions 11 are perforated to permitwater supplied to one of the compartments 9 to flow into the remainingof these compartments, and to permit the water to be drained from all ofthese compartments by wayof one of them. The compartments 8 and 9 areprovided with insulated covers 12 which rest upon flanges 13 within theupper sidesof the compartments and which are provided with handles 14. pf

Pipes 15 are arranged below and extend longitudinally of the box 1, eachof which communicates at its inner end with one of the compartments 9 ofeach tank 5, as shown at 16. The outer ends of the pipes 15' areconnected by a pipe 17 and are rovided inwardly of the connecting pipewith cut-01f valves 18 and 19. A pipe 20 provided with a cutoff valve 21and extending from a source of water supply, communicates with one ofthe pipes 15 and with the connectlng pipe 17. The connecting ipe 17 isprovided with a drain cock 22. i cs 23 are also arranged below andextend ongitudinally of the box 1, each of which communicates at itsinner end with one of the compartments 9 of eachtank 5, as shown at 24.The pipes 23 are connected at their outer ends by a pipe 25, and areprovided inwardly of the connectlng pipe with cut-off valves 26 and 27.One of the pipes 23 is connected by a pipe 28 with the intake port of arotary ump 29, the discharge port of the pump elng connected by a pipe30 to the pipe 17 An electric motor 31 is provided for operating thepump 29.

These pipes and pump constitute means through the medium of which thecompartments 9 of one of the tanks 5 may be flooded with water, throughthe medium of which the chilled water in the compartments 9 of one tankmay be drawn therefrom and forced into the corresponding compartments ofthe other tank, and through the mediumof which the The tanks 5 arespaced from each other water may be drawn from the flooded compartments.To provide the compartments 9 of one of the tanks 5 with water it isonly necessary to open the valve 21 and one of the valves 18 and 19.After the compartments drawn from the flooded compartments 9 of one tankand forced into the compartments '9 of the other tank. While bottledgoods are being chilled in the flooded compartments 9 of one tank,bottled goods are being chilled in the now dry compartments 9 of theother tank. After the withdrawal of the water from said firstcompartments and its discharge to said second compartments, and duringthe chilling of the bottled goods by the water in said secondcompartments, the bottlesin said first compartments are subj ected to adrying action. This method permits the bottled goods to be quicklychilled and delivered to the purchaser with bottles in a d state.

This method of chilling goods is used during those days when business isgood. When business is slack, the bottled goods may be cooled withoutusing water in the compartments 9. The bottles are arranged in thecompartments with their bottoms in contact with the sides of the tanks5, as illustrated, and due thereto their contents will be chilled to thedesired degree slower than when water is employed but rapidly enough toserve the trade during dull days.

After the bottled goods have been chilled by the water and the waterwithdrawn, they will maintain their chilled tem erature for anindefinite period due tothe Fact that the tanks are surrounded by thechilled brine which is maintained at freezing temperature by therefrigerating unit.

A pipe 32 provides means for supplying the box 1 with brine, and a cock33 permits the brine to be drawn off from the box.

In the event that the refrigerating unit should failto operate, thebottled goods will be maintained at a chilled temperature for aconsiderable period of time due to the low temperature of the brine andto the insulation of the brine and tanks from the surroundingatmosphere.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and y themethod of operation will bereadily apparent to those skilled in the artto which the invention appertains. While I have described the principleof operation of the invention, together with the device which I nowconsider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have itunderstood that the device shown is merely illustrative, and that suchchanges may be made when desired as are within the scope of theinvention and claimed.

What I claim is:

1. A refrigerator comprising a box adapted to contain brine, arefrigerating unit expansion coil in the box, tanks arranged in the boxdipping into the brine, means for supplying the tanks with water andmeans for withdrawing the water from one tank and forcing it into theother.

2. A refrigerator comprising a box adapted to contain brine, arefrigerating unit expansion coil in the box, tanks arranged in the boxand dipping into the brine, each of said tanks embodying a dryrefrigerating compartment and a moist refrigerating compartment, meansfor supplying water to the moist refrigerating compartment of one tankand thereafter removing it from said compartinent and dischargin it intothe corresponding compartment 0 the other tank.

3. A refrigerator comprising t'a-nks, refrigerating units for saidtanks, and means for supplying one of the tanks with water andthereafter simultaneously Withdrawing the water from said tank anddischarging it into the other tank, as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

LEE S. POPE.

